By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The fate of the Forrest City Civic Center Commission will have to wait for at least two more weeks to be decided, after the city council tabled an ordinance which would abolish the commission.
The ordinance in question was up for third reading and a vote for or against Tuesday night, but Alderman Steve Hollowell, who had requested the ordinance, asked that it be tabled, at least until the next meeting.
After the meeting, Hollowell said he asked for the ordinance to be tabled because there were some other things possibly coming up, such as negotiations with the Forrest City Advertising and Promotions Commission. The A&P recently approached the city with a proposal to take over the operation of the civic center.
The A&P Commission's offer does not include the operation of a civic center commission.
During the meeting, Alderman Roger Breeding said he would like to see Mayor Larry Bryant attend an A&P meeting to discuss the group's civic center offer. Bryant said that was a possibility, but he was not enthusiastic.
"We can sit down, we can talk and we can look," Bryant said, and added, "First we need to be finding out if we will abolish what we have...I have no input with the A&P. I have no authority, I have no influence one way or another. They are self-perpetuating. If I had some influence, I would have no problem."
On another matter, the council heard third reading on and adopted an ordinance amending the 2004 budget. The amendment includes at least a 3 percent raise for all employees, retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year. The budget, as amended, calls for expenditures of $9,032,012. The budget as originally adopted had used the original 2003 budget for its figures, calling for xpenditures of $8,806,574.
In other business, the council adopted two ordinances, one adjusting fees for out-of-town fire and rescue calls, and another classifying penalties for repeated errors, mistakes or malfunctions in alarms as civil penalties.
Bryant also told the council that the city has run into a problem with gasoline purchases. He cannot purchase anything over $10,000 without going through the bidding process. However, he said the increases in the cost of gasoline have made a tanker of gas cost more than $10,000. He said suppliers don't want to sell half a tanker at a time.
After discussion, two possible solutions were proposed. One would be for the council to give the mayor limited authority (for gasoline purchases only) to go over the $10,000 limit. The other would be for the city to seek bids on gasoline prices. Bryant said that with gas prices as volatile as they are, he doubted any supplier would want to get locked in on a price. And because that same volatility could also make prices fall, it was mentioned that the city might not want to get locked in on a price, either.
Bryant said he believes the city has enough gasoline for the moment.
The city received one bid for asphalt, from M&T Paving. The bid will be studied.
Bryant was also given permission to seek bids on gravel.
A resolution was adopted to begin the condemnation procedure on six buildings, under the provisions of Act 80 of 1983. The act allows the city to collect the cost of removing or razing unsightly or unsafe structures if the owners do not do the job themselves. The locations include 612 N. Gorman (burn out), 135 Poplar (burn out), 121 W. Poplar, 331 W. Oak, 341 W. Oak and 223 N. Haven streets.
Some revisions of the city's zoning code were tabled, because the Planning Commission requested some additional time to review the changes.
On another matter, André Stephens, executive director
of the St. Francis County Community Development Corp., requested
that his request for $25,000 in funding be withdrawn. One of the
organization's functions is to improve housing in poor neighborhoods.
He told the council that since he had made his request, funding
had come from other sources. He did, however, say that he might
at some future day be back to ask for funding again.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
State law may provide parents an opportunity to select the school that their child attends on one level, but according to Forrest City Superintendent of Schools Lee Vent, making the move is not as easy as it sounds.
Arkansas Act 1272 of 2003 allows for non-resident students to attend schools provided the addition of the non-resident student does not require the district to add teachers or classrooms or in any way exceed the requirements and standards established by the law.
According to Vent, the state law gets complicated when students seek to leave the FCSD or transfer in from other area schools.
"The Forrest City School District participates in School Choice so that the district remains in compliance with state laws, but court-ordered federal laws also have to be adhered to, and that's where we run into some issues. In essence, we're participating in school choice, but we're not participating," Vent said.
According to Vent, a federa mandate dealing with racial balance in the school district has to be followed. Vent said that with the racial makeup of the district, which he said is 60 percent minority and 40 percent white, certain limitations determine what students are allowed into and out of the district under the school choice program.
"In order to follow the federal court order, we must make sure that our racial balances are not usurped. We can technically only take white students into the district and we can only approve of minority students leaving. This is a case where a state law says one thing, but a federal law takes precedence over the state law," he said.
Vent said that the district has received and is reviewing applications for students seeking to enter the district as well as students seeking to leave.
"We've received some applications for entrance to the
district and some from parents seeking to move their children
to other schools, but those are still under review," Vent
said.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
With the May primary election just over a month, away questions have been raised over the employment of one candidate's wife as the St. Francis County Election Coordinator.
According to District 4 Justice of the Peace Sam Armstrong, questions were addressed at a poll workers class earlier this week over the role his wife, Judy Armstrong, would play in the election. Judy Armstrong serves as the county's Election Coordinator.
Sam Armstrong said state officials have informed him that as long as his spouse does not work at the polls or handle marked ballots there should be no problems.
"We've talked to the state, and they said that she could work up the ballots prior to the election, but that she couldn't work the polls, and she couldn't handle ballots when they were brought back in," Armstrong said.
According to Tim Humphries with the Secretary of State's Office, there are not any limitations concerning Armstrong due to the lack of laws dealing with election coordinators.
"There really isn't a rule against a person holding the position as election coordinator if their spouse is a candidate in an election. There are no laws governing that right now," said Humphries.
Humphries also answered a question regarding the status of St. Francis County Election Commission chairman Joe Young.
Questions were recently raised by former election commission member and current Forrest City City Council member Steve Hollowell over the legality of Young serving on the commission while running for reelection to the Democratic Central Committee. According to Humphries, Young is allowed to run for the party office.
"Because this is a party election and not a public office that he is running for, Young does not have to forfeit his position on the election commission. If it was a public office, it would be a different situation," said Humphries.
In 2002, Hollowell had to forfeit his position on the election
commission while running for election to the Ward 3, Position
1 spot on the city council.
This Sunday is Easter, and most area schools are giving their students a day or two off in recognition of the holiday.
Students in the Forrest City School District, the Palestine-Wheatley School District and at Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute will not have class on Friday, April 9, or Monday, April 12. All three schools will resume their regular class schedules on Tuesday, April 13.
The Hughes School District and Calvary Christian Schools will not hold classes on Friday, April 9. Students at these schools will return to class on Monday, April 12.
The only local school that will not have a day off in observance of Easter is East Arkansas Community College where regular classes will be held.